


Deceptive Darkness

by orphan_account



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Angst, Anxiety, Burns, Cursed Katsuki Yuuri, Curses, Dark Katsuki Yuuri, Dark Magic, Forbidden Magic, Hearing Voices, Insanity, Insomnia, M/M, Mages, Magic, Magic-Users, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Sorcerer Victor Nikiforov, Sorcerers, Witch Katsuki Yuuri, Witch Lilia Baranovskaya, Witches, Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 04:44:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11200692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Lilia Baranovskaya is a famous witch, known for her spells to be unique. At the end of her show, an accident from her magic leaves Yuuri with burns over his arm. He thought that would be the last of his problems, but as time continues, he finds that his burns may hold something else – something sinister and dark.Victor can’t stop thinking about the boy he saw get injured after Lilia’s show. He confronts Lilia and when he finds that her magic is darker than he thought, he learns that the boy is in danger. Victor vows to help him in any way possible, but being he knows next to nothing about curing a curse, he finds it to be a little harder than he thought.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Hello! If any of you are here because you read my previous story and expected a Radio Host AU, I'm sorry to disappoint you.
> 
> However, I have this Magic AU I've been planning for a few weeks. I'll give you a warning now, but this story is completely out of my comfort zone. I don't know much about Magic, especially when it comes to writing it. I did as much research as I could and I believe I have something that feels right. Some of the magic I changed to fit this type of universe, but I believe it's easy enough to understand.
> 
> If you feel confused, I have left a brief summary of the type of magic users this world has at the end of the chapter, and It'll be on every chapter I upload. I hope this hasn't turned you away from reading! Believe me when I say the other chapters are so much better than the first. I rewrote it six times.
> 
> Enough chatter, It's time for reading! I hope you enjoy it! （*＾3＾）/～♡

 

“Have I ever mentioned how much I hate trains?”

“Multiple times, actually,” Phichit answered without glancing up from his phone. “That was the eighth time you mentioned it.”

Yuuri groaned and slumped back into his seat. He rubbed his eyes with his palms, trying to ease the heavy ache that rested above his eyes. His hands then dropped to his lap as he stared out of the window, watching the world go by in an instant.

Phichit had suggested that they’d take the train. Yuuri wasn’t overly happy with the suggestion, but neither could drive and it seemed to be the only way they could travel. He couldn’t handle motion sickness on trains very well. But it was cheaper and neither were going to turn down cheaper travel.

It was one of those days where Yuuri would have preferred to stay inside. The sun was too bright for his eyes and the people around him seemed to make the train carriage feel stuffy and crowded, but Yuuri dealt with it. He and Phichit had the day planned, and Yuuri didn’t want to let Phichit down, so ignored his headache the best he could.

“How long is this show?” Yuuri asked with hopes that it wasn’t going to be too long. “Just curious.”

Phichit pulled out their tickets from his bag, scanning over then in search for the closing times. “Uh, it says it’ll be two hours.”

Yuuri slumped even further in his seat. He moved his hand up over his eyes, attempting to ease his headache by blocking the sun’s rays from shining in them.

He couldn’t back out of their plans regardless. They were travelling up to see a famous witch, Lilia Baranovskaya. Her shows were something Yuuri and Phichit both wanted to see not long after Phichit had introduced Yuuri to the famous witch, not long after they met.

And thus, began their debate that continued until that very day; a debate where they questioned how Lilia did her magic.

Lilia was famous for her magical abilities, and even more for never revealing how she does it. Yuuri was certain she created her own spells while Phichit dismissed it, saying it was impossible for her to create that many spells. It wasn’t impossible to create spells, only difficult. Even people with years of education struggled to create something new.

Phichit dabbled with multiple theories from her lying about her being a witch, to her having someone along the side doing the magic for her. He came up with a few that didn’t make sense and others that Yuuri did think about, but he still kept with his own theory. Phichit’s theories were never fully thought out, and not once had he kept with an idea that stuck.

They wanted to know how Lilia could do her magic. And when Phichit came to him one day with two tickets to see her show and meet the witch herself, Phichit declared that day would be the day they would end their ongoing debate.

How Phichit had gotten the tickets to the show was beyond him. But how he got backstage passes was even more of a mystery.

“Lilia isn’t a witchy witch, is she?” Phichit asked. “Like, she has witch beliefs and she started as a witch, but there is definitely some spell-casting going on there.”

“A witchy witch, hey?” Yuuri laughed at his comment. Phichit huffed an inaudible reply and crossed his arms as he pouted. Yuuri grinned as he shook his head, “I agree, she isn’t a witchy witch, but she can’t be a mage.”

“Why not?” Phichit asked, turning away from his phone to face Yuuri.

“Mages can only use wands to cast spells. Lilia doesn’t and neither does a witch.” Yuuri said. He could see the growing pout on Phichit’s face and he chose to ignore it, “Besides, if she was a mage, she couldn’t practice as a witch. She would have to practice as a mage.”

“But you could have practiced as a dark witch instead of starting as a white witch,” Phichit defended, referring to Yuuri’s own magical ability.

“That’s different,” Yuuri said, “As a witch, I can choose what path I go down. If Lilia was a mage, she can’t.”

“She can educate herself on witchery if she was a mage,” Phichit pointed out, “You’ve done exactly that.”

Yuuri couldn’t deny that, but he still denied that she could use other magic, regardless of how much research she had done. While Yuuri educated and became a witch from a young age, he found other forms of magic interesting. The more he researched and learned about other forms of magic, the more he became curious about how magic came to be; how it became such a controlled and rule binding force that everyone was only limited to one source of power.

Yuuri wanted to know why a sorcerer couldn’t practice as a wizard, or why a mage couldn’t be a witch. Yuuri wanted to learn the unknown of magic, which was why he delved into every aspect of it as he could.

But magic was becoming old and outdated, and while Yuuri wanted to learn the unknown, it was hard as nothing had been discovered for a long time. The creation of something new was almost ground-breaking, and Yuuri doubted he could do that. But it didn’t stop him from wanting to try and pursue that dream.

He wanted to bring the world into a new era of magic.

“But for real,” Phichit began, turning away from his phone to face Yuuri. “Let’s say she was just a witch. Even though she uses dark magic – and we can’t deny that she doesn’t. I don’t care if they proved she doesn’t. Her spells are done way too quickly for it to be witchery.”

Yuuri had to admit that Phichit had a point. No matter what type of witchery people practiced – white, witch, or dark, none could conjure anything from the click of their finger. Even dark witches, who’s casting was the quickest out of the three, couldn’t conjure that fast.

But Phichit was suggesting that she was using two forms of magic. Yuuri couldn’t believe that. It had never been seen before. Nobody could be a sorcerer and a witch, or a mage and a wizard. It was too much power for one person to handle.

“I reckon she has a trick up her sleeve,” Phichit said, bringing the subject back after the silence became dull. “And by trick, I mean a secret wand.”

Yuuri huffed a laugh, “Really?”

Phichit nodded, “Like you said, if she was a mage she would need to use a wand. _And_ she always wears long sleeves! I suspect she’s hiding something.”

“And you think it’s a secret wand up her sleeve?” Yuuri asked and Phichit agreed, nodding frantically with a smile on his face. “She’s been doing this for years. She would have gotten caught by now if she had, wouldn’t she?”

“Ah, but I have a solution for that,” Phichit said, raising a finger, “So think about this for a minute. She’s a witch and she can cast witch-like spells, but she can also cast them super quick, much like a mage can.”

Yuuri’s headache thumped harder and he couldn’t think straight. “I don’t see what you’re getting at, at all.”

“I’m thinking she’s both,” Phichit spoke lowly, “Like, she’s a witch, but she’s a mage as well.”

Yuuri shook his head. Phichit had meddled with the idea that she used two forms of powers before, but never found a conclusion like he had now. Yuuri didn’t share Phichit’s belief. He thought it was too farfetched for her to be more than a witch. It was too unbelievable.

“Or maybe she’s just lying about being a witch,” Phichit shrugged, “That’s a possibility.”

“It can’t be done,” Yuuri said, bringing back Phichit’s first suggestion and shaking his head, “It’s never been seen before.”

“It’s not that it can’t be done,” Phichit replied, “It’s that nobody has done it before. And if she did combine two forms of magic, wouldn’t it be classified as –?”

“– As forbidden magic?” Yuuri asked, finishing Phichit’s sentence. He never thought about her using forbidden magic. “That’s really dangerous stuff. She couldn’t have. She would have become overwhelmed with forbidden magic by now, if she had?” It was more of a question than a statement.

“Ah, but people have meddled with forbidden magic and came out fine,” Phichit pointed out. “Remember a couple of months ago when you caused that Hexed ring to combust-”

“-Alright! Oh boy!” Yuuri spoke loudly, quickly changing the subject, “Wow, my headaches suddenly cured. Heh. Uh, how far are we?”

Yuuri didn’t plan for the Hexed ring to combust. He remembered the day well. He was in class with Phichit, during their Magical Studies lesson. He thought the class would teach him more about magic and its essence, where it could have come from and how to manipulate it. Instead, he learned that forbidden magic was bad and everything else was okay.

That day, their teacher Celestino had let his students look over an example of forbidden magic. He brought in a Hexed ring for them to look at. Yuuri couldn’t wait to get his hands on it. He wanted to try using so much magic on it, but when Celestino asked his class to, “Look, but don’t touch,” Yuuri had other plans.

He also blamed Phichit for encouraging him. The second Yuuri told him he wanted to try and mix a herb with the Hexed ring, Phichit simply looked at him and said, “Do it.” Yuuri ignored every warning after that and as he grabbed a small piece of the herb and rested it against the ring. Nothing happened at first. It wasn’t until the herb melted into the ring that Yuuri’s ‘good idea’ turned into regret. The ring crumbled and cracked, and emitted a foul odor into the classroom that was thick and heavy with death. Celestino evacuated the room just before the ring exploded on itself.

“Take pride that you didn’t get caught,” Phichit said, turning to Yuuri with a smile on his face.

Yuuri smirked, thinking back to the day, and huffed out a single laugh, “Oh, I will.”

Phichit then sat forward and said, “But anyway, you made a good point a moment ago.”

“I did?”

Phichit nodded. “How far away are we?”

“Uh, I should hope you know,” Yuuri said as he stared out the window, biting his lip, “I was relying on you to get us there.”

Phichit stared at Yuuri with wide eyes, “But I was relying on you to get us there!” The moment Phichit’s frown slowly formed into a grin he couldn’t bite back, Yuuri realized he was joking. “I’m kidding of course.”

“You little-”

“Five minutes!” Phichit interrupted Yuuri’s insult. He then let out an embarrassingly loud squeal of excitement. His phone squeezed in his tight grip as he shook his arms in small wiggles. “I’m so excited!”

His burst of excitement made Yuuri laugh. It wouldn’t be long now before they would be face to face with the witch herself. Yuuri would be lying to himself if he didn’t say he was excited, and soon, he would be able to meet the witch.

He held onto Phichit’s theory of her using forbidden magic. While his theories were mostly farfetched, that one had Yuuri think.

 

* * *

 

The second the train stopped and the doors opened, Yuuri found the closest bathroom he could find to throw up the contents of his breakfast. He then dragged Phichit to the closest herb store he could find. He needed make some medicine to ease his thumping headache and rid of the acid taste in his mouth.

Yuuri knew he should have packed his own medicine. He was never good on trains, he knew that. But with the way he and Phichit rushed around to get themselves ready and on time to catch it, he completely forgot.

Yuuri mentally thanked his mother for teaching him her brew to ease headaches. After he took his medicine, he could already feel it getting to work as he and Phichit walked back towards the arena. His headache eased up enough to feel comfortable, and Yuuri was always thankful for his white witch status in those moments.

Upon walking inside, the arena was a lot bigger than they thought. Rows of seats covered the area in front of the stage. Half had already been seated by fans who were as excited as Yuuri and Phichit were. Yuuri trusted Phichit to get them to the right seats and after their third attempt at finding the correct row, they were finally able to sit down.

Yuuri noted that Phichit got some good seats. They weren’t too close to the stage, but close enough that they would see Lilia well enough. (When Phichit showed Yuuri the tickets, he told him, “I would have liked to sit front row since most people who get involved in her show sit there. But it would be like sitting front row at the cinema and I don’t appreciate a neck aches.”) Yuuri didn’t care where he sat. He only cared about getting a good view of Lilia’s magic in person.

And a second after that thought, the tallest guy Yuuri had ever seen then sat in the seat in front of him.

Yuuri glanced over at Phichit and wanted nothing more than to swap seats, but he decided against it. He had to deal with Mr. Tall-Legs so he tried to make himself comfortable. He shifted from one side to another, trying to get a good angle of the show around the guy. Phichit noticed Yuuri’s movements and he glanced at Yuuri, then the man in front of him. Yuuri could see the gears visibly running through his face.

And then it hit him, “Oh, my God. You –” He pointed at the guy. Yuuri huffed, giving him a threatening look which roughly translated to, ‘Don’t you dare say anything’. Phichit stifled a laugh with his hand and said, “I’m sorry, it’s just so –”

“Every God damn time.”

As Phichit described the common occurrence, Yuuri was ‘cursed’ to constantly be sat behind someone taller than him. Yuuri wasn’t short, but every time where he had to sit down and look at something – it being at the cinema or a show – somebody taller than him _always_ sat in front of him.

Yuuri began to think he really was cursed. It was stupid, sure – and perhaps a little bit funny, but all the same, it was annoying.

“Listen, I know you really want to see Lilia get to work with her magic, so how about we swap seats?” Phichit then suggested and it took Yuuri by surprise.

“R – Really?” Yuuri gasped, “Phichit, no. I can’t. You brought the tickets and you really want to see the show too, I can’t –”

Phichit raised his hand to stop Yuuri from talking, “It’s fine!” Phichit assured him, “I don’t care about seeing her wave her hands around as much as you do. I just want to check out the show. It would be best for the both of us.”

Yuuri sighed heavily. He didn’t want to swap because he knew Phichit was only doing this to make him feel better. But at the same time, he would be happy to swap. He wasn’t going to deny that. He had mixed feelings about it. “Phichit –”

“Seriously, it’s fine!”

Yuuri saw two ways out of this: either agree to move, or not.

He chose the first option. “Alright, fine.” He then stood up and the two swapped seats. Yuuri then went from being unable to see the stage to seeing it in full. The little girl in front of his new seat was barely tall enough for her head to reach above the chair. Yuuri made a mental note to owe Phichit something later.

He hadn’t even thanked him yet.

“Thanks, by the way.”

Phichit turned to him with a grin, “No problem!”

Yuuri laughed, then in the corner of his eye he caught Mr. Tall-Legs stand up. He and the smaller woman beside him swapped seats. Yuuri’s mouth dropped open and Phichit stared at him, wide eyed and his hand over his mouth. Yuuri gave him a look, desperately begging him to not say anything.

Phichit opened his mouth, but the moment he did, the lights in the arena dimmed and the crowd around them cheered with excitement. The two turned their attention to the stage, seeing the witch, Lilia Baranovskaya, walking upon it with her arms stretched wide and a spell book in hand.

Yuuri’s heart raced with excitement. It was time.

 

* * *

 

“So, what was it like seeing your idol?” Phichit joked as he nudged his elbow to Yuuri’s side. He pushed his arm away, frustrated and a little bit overwhelmed.

“She’s not my idol.” Yuuri firmly stated.

“But the show was good, wasn’t it?” Phichit then asked. Yuuri didn’t reply until he crossed his arms and huffed. “Wow, it was that bad?”

Yuuri paused for a second. “It wasn’t bad,” He admitted before frustration hit. “It was-! And she – and like, it was … it was the same!”

Phichit gave him a sympathetic look before saying, “Come on, we should head out. We still have to meet her,” He motioned at Yuuri to follow him. They walked out of the arena and down a corridor. Phichit then turned back to Yuuri and said, “It’s a pity we didn’t figure out how she did her magic.”

“It’s not just that! She did the exact same thing,” Phichit stayed silent. Yuuri sighed heavily, “It was like watching her show online. The atmosphere was different, but the magic was the same. There was nothing different! There were no camera tricks or little slip ups that could have given us some hint on how she did all of her magic. It was just…”

“It felt like you didn’t achieve what you wanted to find out?” Phichit then asked, turning to Yuuri for the moment then back down the corridor.

“Yeah,” Yuuri nodded. He then noticed Phichit’s lack of chatter. He feared for a moment that he might have come across as ungrateful for the tickets Phichit got him. “Don’t get me wrong, the performance was amazing. I would totally see it again. I was… I was hoping we could figure it out on our own.”

Phichit perked up a little and Yuuri sighed with relief. Phichit then came to a sudden stop. Yuuri glanced around Phichit, seeing a strong looking man standing in front of a door. Yuuri’s brows dropped as he glanced at Phichit, who turned to him with an excited look and a smile, “We’re here!”

Yuuri’s heart raced with nerves and Phichit happily showed the man their tickets. He eyed them with caution before nodding and stepping aside, allowing the two inside.

As the door opened, the aroma of magic that filled their lungs was sudden. Yuuri recognised the sensation. It reminded him of his mother’s magic when she healed. The atmosphere was thick with protection wards, but a light, calming sense of magical energy eased any feeling of nerves. The room felt safe and protected.

As they walked inside, groups of people were already there, standing with their friends in separate groups. Nobody conversed with each other, only to their own friends. Yuuri and Phichit moved to the side as another couple of people walked in, keeping out of the way.

Yuuri looked around the room, curious to the other people who wanted to meet the witch.

He recognized one. It was the Wizard from Lilia’s past shows – her ex-husband, Yakov Feltsman. Yuuri didn’t know that they still worked together. He assumed once they split, Yakov moved on to work on his own magic.

Yuuri’s eyes then met a young teen talking to Yakov. Yuuri didn’t know who he was, but it was clear from the way he spoke to Yakov that he had some relation with the Wizard. He didn’t seem like a fan, nor did he seem like a family relative either. Yuuri didn’t know who he was. His eyes then fell on the second person talking with Yakov and –

And Yuuri’s heart stopped.

He had the kind of face that stopped you in your tracks. The more Yuuri looked over him, the better he got. He paused his conversation and his expression fell natural as he looked over at Yuuri. The man smiled at him and Yuuri couldn’t tear his gaze away, even when he felt a blush spread across his cheeks. He was frozen on the spot as the man turned back to Yakov, smiling, and laughing like he had before.

“Hot guy, huh?” Phichit whispered into Yuuri’s ear and it startled him. He jumped back as a small squeak escaped his lips. His hand covered his mouth as his head shot around the room, hoping nobody noticed his embarrassing action. They were all still talking with their friends, completely unaware of Yuuri. He sighed with relief and composed himself before slapping Phichit’s arm.

“Don’t!” He slapped it again, “Do that!”

Phichit’s laughter came to a sudden stop. Yuuri noticed his eyes widening and as Yuuri turned to the door, his eyes landed on the witch herself. His heart quickened with nerves. The room fell into a hushed silence as she walked in. Her attire felt strict, but the warm magic around her made it feel easy to talk with her. She walked to the centre of the room and said, “Welcome, everyone.” She smiled, “Before we begin, I have a few introductions and an announcement I would like to make.”

Everyone moved closer, crowding around her as they hushed anyone who spoke. “For my first announcement, I thought it would be fair for you all to be the first to hear this,” She paused for a moment, “But as of tonight’s show, I will be retiring.”

The crowd spoke quietly to each other, discussing Lilia’s announcement amongst themselves. Yuuri and Phichit shared the same look, both surprised and upset over the news. Lilia cleared her throat, bringing the attention back to her. “I appreciate how you feel, but my choice has a reason.” She then turned to face Yakov as she raised her hand, gesturing towards him. “I would like for you all to thank Yakov Feltsman. He continued to support me and my work and helped educate me on my magic. I’d also like you to thank his protégé, Victor Nikiforov, for teaching me his own knowledge and skill as well.”

Yuuri made a mental note of his name. He didn’t want to forget him. The crowd clapped as Yakov smiled and nodded politely to the group. Yuuri’s heart skipped as Victor smiled and waved at everyone.

The attention went back to Lilia as she said, “And I would like for you all to meet my own protégé, Yuri Plisetsky, who I hope will continue my legacy once I have retired.” The young teen stepped forward but made no move to appreciate the crowd’s applause. Lilia leaned close and said something to the teen before he rolled his eyes and waved, refusing to show a smile.

“Now that introductions are done, we can begin the meet. You can ask me any question you like.” She smiled politely, before her eyes widened as she remembered something, “But I can’t answer every question, I’m afraid. Some things I have to keep a secret.”

It took a lot for Yuuri to not huff audibly. Before he could even think of a question, a girl with the longest hair Yuuri had ever seen raised her hand which held a pen, while a notebook was grasped in her other.

“Hi! My names Jane – Full time blogger, writer, and witch.” Yuuri felt like the girl was prepared for everything. “I run a blog dedicated to witchery. I include a lot of videos of your shows on my blog, but I get a lot of dislike when I do. People don’t believe that you are a pure witch, that you use dark magic with your spells. Can you either confirm or deny that statement?”

Yuuri saw Lilia blink hard. The girl acted more like a journalist than a blogger, and the speed that she spoke, even Yuuri struggled to keep up. The question, however, was one that Lilia never answered. She refused to give any statement on the use of dark magic in her spells. Yuuri waited for Lilia to answer, curious if she would answer it now she’s retired.

“Well, of course,” Lilia cleared her throat, “I do use very little dark magic in my spells, but it isn’t my main source of magic. I am simply a witch at heart and I always will be.”

The girl scribbled excitedly into her book, and another hand was raised as a question was thrown towards Lilia, by a red-haired boy. “I figured you used dark magic in your spells, but you must use more than just a little, right?” He questioned, “Witchery isn’t quick and yet, you can cast spells with a snap of your finger. You must use more than just a little, or do you use something else?”

Yuuri wished he had a notebook with him like the excited girl did. He would have written everything down for his notes for later. Lilia laughed with a hint of uncertainty in her voice, as she said, “Well, yes.”

“And what is it?” Yuuri asked.

Lilia seemed surprised that Yuuri spoke, and as they made eye contact, she narrowed her eyes. “Some things are best kept a secret.”

Yuuri wasn’t having that. He came here to find something new, and he would be damned if he was going to leave without learning something from her. He decided to test Phichit’s theory as he glared her way and asked, “Are you a mage?”

Lilia was taken back. “…Pardon?”

“Are you a mage?” Yuuri repeated. He caught the three she introduced glance his way, staring at him. Yuuri swallowed hard, biting back his sudden spike of anxiety. “You said you only used a little dark magic in your spells, but like he said, Witchery isn’t quick. So, I’m wondering if you use some other form of magic if you don’t use a lot of dark magic. Even if you were a dark witch, they can’t conjure that fast.”

Yuuri saw regret that held in Lilia’s face. He could only assume it was for allowing people to question her about her magic. She never allowed anyone to do so before. Yuuri waited and eventually, Lilia nodded.

“I feel I should be honest, as I am retiring. Yes.” She said, “I am a witch, but I am also a mage. And I meddle with a little Wizardry too.”

The group muttered amongst themselves with disbelief. Yuuri was stunned. He had never heard of such magic. A witch who was also a mage… it was unbelievable. Mages couldn’t develop powers through Witchery. It was too much magic for a person to handle and yet, Lilia handled it with such ease.

There was something else she was hiding. Yuuri could feel it.

“How do you do it?” Phichit’s voice spoke from beside him.

Lilia raised a sharp brow, “Would you like me to show you an example?” The question hung in the air as the group nodded. Yuuri could see Lilia wasn’t too pleased with showing the group how her magic was done, but she was too far into the questions to back out. Yuuri had to respect her for not backing out. She then sighed deeply before saying, “Alright. I will tell you.”

“But Lilia –” Yakov spoke but Lilia raised her hand, stopping him from continuing.

“Hush. This is my choice,” Lilia glared at Yakov, who raised his hands and backed away, allowing her to continue. She stepped towards her cauldron and the room fell silent, patiently waiting for her to continue.

“This is what I use for all of my magic,” Lilia began. “I know that being a mage and practicing in witchery is not the best idea, but my success came from that. I found a way to merge the two magic together, and how to control it.”

Whispers were heard and a second later, somebody asked, “How did you find out how to do it?”

Lilia chuckled, “I won’t tell you how I found out. That will remain a secret until the day I rest. However, I will tell you that all my magic – everything, began with witchery,” She turned her gaze to the cauldron and back to the group. “It was the remedy that was an accident, and after that, everything fell into place.”

“So, can you still tell us how you did it?” A different voice then asked.

“As you don’t know the brew, I can, yes.” Lilia pulled her wand from her pocket and turned to face her cauldron, “It’s all to do with the potion, which allows me to combine the two. I drop my wand into the mix as I repeat a phrase from my spell book – again, something I will keep a secret. Once the potion turns, I take the mix in a phial and add it to my spell book.”

The excited girl from before raised her hand and asked, “Excuse me, but what exactly does adding the wand and mixing the formula from the cauldron do to your spell book?”

“It allows me to conjure without the use of my wand,” Lilia answered with a faint smile. “It’s witchery, but I’m using my spell-casting ability with my witchery. It tricks my magical ability, combines the two and allows me to develop a new power.”

Another hand then raised and a question was asked. “I still don’t get it,” The person said. “You’re a mage, but you’re also a witch. How did you develop the powers of a witch? Mages can’t do that.”

Lilia sighed as she nodded, “Just because I am a mage doesn’t mean I can’t educate myself on other forms of magic.” Yuuri could agree with that. He was the same. “It is the potion that allowed me to develop the powers of a witch. Once I had that power, I used that potion with my wand. Everything begins with this potion – my witchery, my magic manipulation, everything.”

Another voice spoke from a different person as they confirmed, “So, you were born a mage but educated yourself on witchery,” Lilia nodded and the person continued. “You found a spell or potion or whatever, that allowed you to develop other powers and merge the magic together?”

Lilia nodded, “Yes. That is exactly right.”

Yuuri blinked hard. It was so much information to take in, but it made sense. He glanced at Phichit, who returned a smug smile – proud that out of the two, he got the closest guess to her powers. Yuuri ignored him as the person spoke again.

“That’s… insane,” They gasped, “But you also use dark magic, so doesn’t that make you a dark witch?”

“None of it is truly in my spells,” Lilia began then pointed at the small blue flame that sat beneath her cauldron. “This flame effectively removes any kind of evil or forbidden magic from this potion. As it’s removed in the potion, it’s not used in any of my spells.”

Yuuri’s eyes widened when he heard her mention forbidden magic. He had one question on his mind and he hoped it wasn’t true, as he spoke up and asked, “You… You don’t use forbidden magic, do you?”

The pause that followed let Yuuri know the answer before Lilia said anything. As she nodded, she turned to her cauldron and said, “There is a lot of strong magic in forbidden magic. It’s dangerous, yes, but it is all removed, allowing my magic to remain pure and powerful.”

“Can it really be pure if it came from forbidden magic?” Yuuri asked suddenly. She couldn’t be a witch if she used dark magic. She had to have been a dark witch. Using that type of magic, it was too reckless and dangerous, and knowing that Lilia used it in her witchery made Yuuri feel uneasy.

A voice that spoke behind Yuuri startled him. He jumped as the person asked, “And you’ve explained how you use Witchery, and that you’re a mage, but you said you meddled with Wizardry as well. I’m curious.”

Lilia swallowed hard. “O – Okay, well. My spellbook holds spells which are both from Witchery and Wizardry. I can use both types of magic without the use of my wand – or a staff. As long as I have my book, I can cast whatever spell I know.”

Yuuri blinked hard. He had expected something amazing but nothing like this. All he expected was a simple creation of a new spell – but Lilia not only created a potion that allowed her to use all forms of magic, she merged them together. Her magic was almost limitless. Yuuri couldn’t wrap his head around it. It all made sense, and it was what Yuuri had wanted to know for so long, but knowing it now felt somewhat different. It felt almost… overwhelming.

A new voice then spoke somewhere near the back and startled Yuuri from his thoughts. “Can you show us an example of removing forbidden magic?”

Lilia didn’t answer immediately, but when she gave a light nod, she turned to Victor and asked, “Pass me the crushed blood rune.” He turned and picked up a jar from the shelf behind him, handing it over to Lilia.

Yuuri watched him. As he turned to stand where he previously stood, their eyes met. Yuuri caught the small grin Victor glanced at his way. Yuuri could feel the faint blush on his face as he turned his gaze away, feeling too embarrassed to smile back.

Lilia opened the jar and grabbed a handful of crushed powder. She dropped it into the thick liquid that sat inside her cauldron. A breath of magic fell throughout the room. The sudden unnerving atmosphere thickened, replacing the previous calming one. A dull, purple mist grew from inside the cauldron before collapsing on itself, turning the once green liquid into a deep purple, and the blue flame beneath it turned a dark shade of red before returning to blue.

Lilia then turned to the group. “If you feel scared, don’t be. It’s just the forbidden magic. It hasn’t done anything, but the feeling will remain for a while. Blood runes target fear. Do not be scared of it. It cannot hurt you.”

Lilia’s reassurance made Yuuri feel a little more at ease, and the room felt easier to breathe. She turned back to her cauldron as she picked up a Phial and carefully poured the liquid into it. She closed the lid, keeping the substance inside as she held it up for the group to see. Everyone eyed the phial with caution as she smiled and asked, “Any questions?”

The girl – who Yuuri suddenly remembered was called Jane – stuck her hand up fast and asked, “What the heck is happening to that phial? It’s sparkling!”

Lilia laughed lightly, “The potion isn’t ready yet. Once it fades, I can merge it with my book.”

Phichit then raised his hand and Lilia pointed at him. He asked with a flat tone in his voice, “Is that flame supposed to get bigger?”

Lilia’s brows furrowed as she turned around. The flame beneath the cauldron that was once a small, harmless flame suddenly grew four times its size. Lilia gasped as she outstretched her arms and backed away, moving the group behind with her. Yuri stood frozen as he stared at the fire. Lilia reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him out of his state and away from the growing flame.

In the blink of an eye, the flame burst into a large, burning fire. The room erupted into screams and yells and the booming voice of Yakov screamed at everyone to get out.

They pushed and shoved at each other, desperately trying to escape the room as fast as possible. Yuuri didn’t want to be any closer to the fire than he already was. He could feel the heat against his skin and the strong aroma of magic burning in the air. The shrill ring of the fire alarm erupting made his ears ring and his head hurt. He didn’t like this, and he didn’t want to be there any longer. He turned, glancing at the fire, dancing, and twisting into all directions. The heat against his face was uncomfortable, and he wanted to turn away, but he caught the sight of Lilia.

She was backed up against the wall on the opposite side of the room, farthest away from the door. Her spell book was held tightly to her chest as she watched the fire sway in front of her. Through the burning heat, Yuuri’s eyes met hers and he knew in that moment where her gaze almost begged for his help, he would regret not helping her.

Yuuri stepped forward when suddenly, he felt someone grab his wrist and pull him back. Yuuri turned and met eyes with Victor, who stared at him with concern and shock. “What are you doing?!” He yelled over the fire alarm and paused to cough, “You need to get out of here!”

Victor pulled at Yuuri’s arm, but he didn’t budge. Yuuri turned to glance at Lilia, then back at Victor as he yelled a reply, “I can’t!” He pulled his arm back, but Victor didn’t let go. “Lilia, she’s –!” Victor’s stare glanced up. He froze as he saw her figure behind the fire. His mouth dropped as his eyes widened, staring at Lilia’s form with fear.

Yuuri took his distraction as his chance to escape and slip out of Victor’s grip. He pulled his arm away and pushed all doubt out of his mind as he ran past the flame. Yuuri heard Victor yelling, but he couldn’t hear him over the fire alarm and his own coughing. The air was becoming thick with smoke, but he couldn’t stop now. He had one thought on his mind: to help Lilia.

She watched him with both shock and fear as Yuuri raced towards her. As he reached her, he grabbed her arm and yelled over the shrieking of the fire alarm, “Come on! Let’s go!”

Lilia refused to move.

“No!” Yuuri heard her yell back, “It’s safer here!”

Yuuri took the assumption that she had completely lost it - that the burning magic fogged up her thoughts. There was _no way_ she was safer in this room and Yuuri wasn’t going to leave her there. “Are you crazy?!” He gasped, gripping her arm tighter, “Let’s go!” He tugged her arm and forcefully pulled her forward. She had no choice but to move. Yuuri wasn’t going to give in,

They turned to face the fire and watched as it danced and swayed in the opening that Yuuri ran through. Yuuri glanced between Lilia and the fire. In that one second where he paused, fear took over. Yuuri doubted every single action he could make as he held his breath and assured himself that he would be okay. He grabbed hold of Lilia’s wrist tight and as he moved her to his side, protecting her with his own body from the fire, he raced forward.

The moment they ran past the fire, it swayed in their way.

The burning heat Yuuri felt against his skin stung. He had never felt pain like it before. He bit his tongue as he forced back his cry of pain and pulled Lilia further to safety. Yuuri dragged her out of the room. Between their struggle of trying to escape and the sudden throbbing pain, Yuuri lost his balance and they fell to the floor.

Yuuri tried to stop himself from hitting the ground but his arms gave in as he landed and he fell onto his burned arm. He howled in agony and breathed heavily as he rolled onto his back. He gasped and cried with a desperate need to stop the pain. He couldn’t feel anything other than the burning heat on his skin and the throb of pain that thumped through his arm. He raised his trembling arm, staring at the burn that reddened his forearm. He could see his skin sizzle and burn from the flame and Yuuri could do nothing but cry out.

He couldn’t hear the strangers that surrounded him. The shriek of the fire alarm barely rang over the fuzz ringing in his ears. He couldn’t pay attention to anything other than the throbbing pain. He didn’t know what was happening. He was suddenly in a new room and through his blurry, tear filled eyes, he saw new faces. He didn’t recognize the people that looked at him with concern, and darkness swam over his vision.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to add another chapter to make up for how bad I feel the last chapter is!
> 
> Don't expect updates this quick in the future!
> 
>  
> 
> Also, I do not have a beta reader from this point on, so I apologize for any mistakes!

 

Yuuri’s time spent in the hospital was short lived. His injury wasn’t major but he still needed it to be treated and bandaged to allow it to heal. He would have a scar once the burns healed, but Yuuri could live with a scar.

He then spent as much time as possible trying to avoid as much human interaction as he could.

He appreciated the concern, but after a while, he couldn’t stand having so many different people fuss over him. It was irritating and all Yuuri wanted was five minutes to himself. He didn’t like being crowded around or being centre of attention, and that’s exactly what was happening. It overwhelmed him. He had enough with his doctors and nurses treating his burns. He even became irritated when his parents called, calling him their “Stupid but brave boy.”

He felt horrible being so irritated towards his own parents. He hadn’t spoken to them in a while. But something about them constantly asking about his burns made him want to hang up and ignore them until they didn’t care to ask anymore.

His day got even worse as he left the hospital with Phichit. He told Yuuri that he was all over the internet. People wanted to interview him and ask him what had happened, why he got hurt, and how bad his arm was. Yuuri felt baffled and even more annoyed at the news. He didn’t understand why they cared about him, and Yuuri didn’t want them to. He wanted to go home, rest, and ignore everyone until he felt less frustrated with everything.

It wasn’t until Yuuri’s curiosity got the better of him that he found out exactly _why_ the media cared about him so much. He read different articles and watched multiple videos about what had happened. He found that they only cared about him because he saved Lilia. He was known as the boy who saved the famous witch. Some called him a hero; others didn’t even know his name.

Yuuri became sick and tired of all the attention and asked everyone for some space. Phichit understood. And of course, as much as his parents _said_ they would give him space, they made an awful lot of effort to call him five times a day to make sure he was okay.

“How is your arm?” His mother would ask

“Have you got it bandaged up properly?” His father questioned.

“It’s not hurting too much, is it?”

“Oh, my brave young boy.”

“My son is a hero!”

And by the end of the week, Yuuri was ready to rip his hair out. It was too much smothering. He loved talking to his parents, he really did, and he appreciated that they were concerned over him. He just didn’t want to be reminded of his injury every hour of every day.

When his second appointment with his doctor came around, Yuuri was dreading it – not because he was afraid of his check up, but it was having somebody continue to bother him about his arm.

Yuuri was told his burn were making a good recovery, but the blisters were the only concern. Once the blisters healed completely, Yuuri would be allowed to remove his bandage and let his wounds get some air, which would roughly be over a week. Yuuri couldn’t wait to remove his bandage. It was annoying. He hated having to remove it to put cream on his burn. It was repetitive and frustrating; but at the same time, he’d prefer to keep it on until his wounds healed.

As he left his appointment with new medication in hand and no more check-ups to go to, he met Phichit. He promised Yuuri he would wait for him while he had his check-up so he could keep Yuuri company on his walk home.

He also wanted to grab a pizza on the way back, which Yuuri wasn’t against. But he felt that was at least half of the reason why Phichit joined Yuuri in the first place.

“So, what did the doctor say about your burn?” Phichit asked. His concern only showed when he needed to know something, and Yuuri could deal with that a little better than constant questions. Phichit never pushed Yuuri into talking. “Is it going to leave a badass scar? It’ll be your battle wound!”

Yuuri laughed, “It’s healing okay. I can remove this bandage in over a week,” He shrugged staring down at his bandaged forearm and hand. “It’ll scar regardless, so there’s that.”

“Hey, that’s good!” Phichit grinned, then his smile dropped, “I mean removing the bandage thing. I don’t mean about the scar, but it’ll still be a good story to tell the grandkids, right?”

“That I saved a famous witch from being burned to death and I haven’t received a thank you?” Yuuri knew he was being bitter. As the week went by and he heard nothing from Lilia about what he had done, he felt he shouldn’t have bothered trying to save her. “I don’t think I’d want to tell them that.”

Phichit sighed, “So, she still hasn’t thanked you?”

“Of course, she hasn’t,” Yuuri said, shaking his head, “All I know is that she’s only announced her retirement. And then I read some stupid article that said she refused to discuss what happened. I don’t even know if she appreciated what I did or if she wanted that to happen… I don’t know.”

“She must appreciate it. She was never really the type of person who spoke to the media openly about her private life, was she?” Yuuri didn’t want to admit that Phichit had a point. He wanted to wallow in self-pity and continue to be bitter. “And why would she have wanted that to happen? It wouldn’t make any sense. She couldn’t have planned that fire, it was too unpredictable.”

Yuuri crossed his arms, “But so is she.”

Phichit glanced at him but didn’t reply. Yuuri heard him sigh and he felt horrible for dismissing Phichit’s comfort. He knew he was trying to help, but Yuuri felt he was in such a bad mood that he didn’t want the comfort. He wanted people to stop asking him about Lilia and stop talking about his burns.

“So… do you want to watch a movie when we get back?” Phichit asked after the silence became too awkward, “I know it’s my turn to choose, but I’ll let you pick this time.”

Something about getting his own way made Yuuri feel pride wash over him. He looked at Phichit with a faint smile on his face as he said, “Yeah. I would like that.”

 

* * *

 

 

Victor Nikiforov knew that when he had a bad feeling settle into the pit of his stomach, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. And Victor couldn’t stop thinking about that raven-haired beauty that got injured because of Lilia.

The moment Victor glanced at him from across the room and his brown eyes met Victor’s own, he felt something. He couldn’t explain the feeling, but it made his heart stop and his stomach feel funny. After the fire, he couldn’t stop thinking about him and as the days went by, his feeling developed into a bad one and it became increasingly difficult to ignore.

He knew something wasn’t right. There was something about that fire that made him shudder with dread, and that boy being burned by it only made his feeling sit heavier.

It didn’t help that Victor also felt responsible for what happened. He should have dragged the boy away when he had the chance. He wouldn’t have gotten injured if Victor did, but then Lilia would have been hurt too. He felt conflicted, but it still pulled at his heart.

“He’ll be fine,” Yuri said to Victor, waving his hand as he dismissed Victor’s concern. “That fire didn’t hold any dark magic, so stop worrying about it.”

Victor fell back in his seat, baffled that Yuri didn’t see why he felt uneasy about it. “But I can’t,” Victor said, leaning forward to lean against the table with his hands pressed against his face, “I have a bad feeling. I’m… I’m concerned something might happen to him.”

Yuri rolled his eyes, “Like that bad feeling you had about me travelling to visit Otabek that you made me miss my flight?”

Victor raised a finger, “That was one time.”

“It happened four times!” Yuri defended, “And each time, nothing happened! I can’t rely on your bad feelings.”

“Nothing bad happened because I saved you from something happening. You’re welcome.” Victor smiled at Yuri, but he continued to glare at Victor as he crossed his arms and shook his head. Victor’s grin dropped as he huffed, “Okay, maybe not. But this is a bad, bad feeling. I haven’t had a feeling this bad since… well, ever, really.”

Yuri continued to glare at Victor. “Or maybe it’s because you have a dumb crush on him and you’re finding an excuse to see him again?”

Victor blinked at Yuri, forcing his true feelings back because, yes, maybe Victor _did_ have a crush, but he wasn’t going to admit that now. “Who said I had a crush on him?”

“Fine then, you’re in love. Whatever,” Yuri huffed, “The point is you like him, and that’s the only reason why you’ve got a bad feeling. Like I said before, you’re finding an excuse to go and find him so you can pretend to have a perfect happily ever after.”

If the boy was Victor’s ‘Happily ever after,’ he wouldn’t be against it, but his unease was more than him finding an excuse to see him. It was everything about that fire. It was the heavy magic, the mess of her brew, and the strong pull against his heart and stomach. Nothing about that fire felt normal.

“You’re cruel to me, Yuri.” Victor muttered, staring at the floor.

“I’m just telling the truth,” Yuri replied and Victor kept his stare away. “Trust me, you think I haven’t already checked to see if he would be alright?”

Victor’s head shot up, meeting Yuri’s glare. “Will he be okay?”

“He’s alright now,” Yuri said, “A little pissed off with everyone and his burn, but he’ll be okay.”

Victor swallowed hard. He knew Yuri’s fortune-telling was good. He was talented at foreseeing the future as well as being gifted as a mage. Lilia wouldn’t have taken him on as her protégé if he wasn’t.

But Victor thought Yuri was better as a mage than a fortune-teller. He struggled to see the future clearly enough to tell exactly what would happen, and the future changed so much. Victor didn’t want to have Yuri say he would be fine, and the future would end up changing. He needed to know if he was _definitely_ going to be alright.

“And in the future?” Victor asked, “He’ll be okay, right?”

“I guess,” Yuri shrugged, “It was a mess, but I didn’t see you there, and I didn’t see a bad presence either. My assumption is that he will be okay.”

“But the future can change,” Victor couldn’t let go of his feeling. He needed to ask the questions, “He might be okay now but something could change.”

Yuri huffed and stood up from his chair, making it fall backwards and hit the floor with a hard _thump._ “I don’t know why you care so much about this stupid bad feeling of yours, but he is _fine._ Seriously, Victor, if you’re so concerned about him just talk to Lilia or Yakov yourself. I couldn’t care less since I _know_ he’s fine. Just try and listen to me for once.”

Victor watched with wide eyes as Yuri stormed out of the room, leaving him behind with a startled look and spilled coffee over the table.

Victor bit his lip with thought as he stood up, grabbed a cloth, and began to clean up Yuri’s spilled drink. He knew he should trust Yuri’s instinct. He was a good fortune-teller, but Victor needed to be certain. He needed to know if that fire was a normal fire or something more.

He wanted to trust Yuri. He really did, but until he could shake the bad feeling away from his stomach and mind, Victor needed to see for himself if the boy was okay.

Victor sighed as he finished cleaning up Yuri’s mess before going in search for Yakov or Lilia. He didn’t care which one he found first. All he needed was to know from one of them that the boy was going to be okay.

He found Yakov in his study, leaned over his spell book as he scribbled something inside it. Victor opened the door as quietly as he could. He tried to avoid disturbing Yakov while he worked on his spells. He knew the man didn’t appreciate it, but as the door clicked shut, Yakov spun around and stared at Victor.

“I’d appreciate it if you were quieter, Vitya.” He said before turning back to his book. Victor huffed, knowing that talking to Yakov now was a pointless attempt, but he was here and Lilia wasn’t, so he decided to try.

“I just need to ask you something.”

Yakov closed his eyes and sighed. He then closed his spell book and turned to face Victor, paying his attention to him instead. “Okay. What is it?”

He hadn’t expected Yakov to be so easy to speak to after disturbing him, but then Victor had a thought. Maybe Yakov knew something was wrong too.

Victor bit his lip, trying to think where to begin. All he could think about was that boy. He hadn’t left Victor’s mind since the day of the incident, and Victor couldn’t stop wondering if he was okay. For two weeks, Victor’s bad feeling only grew and he needed it to stop. He needed answers.

“So, that person who saved Lilia…” Victor paused as he tried to find the right words, “I just… There’s something not right. I have my bad feeling.”

Yakov huffed as he crossed his arms. “You know your bad feeling aren’t always reliable, right?” Victor shrugged in response, keeping silent. “What about him?”

Victor thought hard about the fire. He feared it, only from the way it started. It was moments after Lilia used forbidden magic that the flame beneath her cauldron grew. The flame didn’t hold any bad magic, Victor knew that, but the potion in her cauldron did. That was what made Victor worry about the fire that began.

But he couldn’t shake the feeling that the fire held forbidden magic too. He knew Lilia used that kind of magic. Yakov did too, and Victor wasn’t a saint either. He knew the risks of that magic, and if it was in that fire – if it was the reason why he had such a bad feeling, he didn’t want to wait any longer to find out what effects it could have.

It never occurred to Victor that no matter how often Lilia said her magic was pure, it never was. Her use of forbidden magic wasn’t, and never would be, pure. And Victor hated that he realized that so late into his own career.

“That fire… It wasn’t a normal fire, was it?” Victor asked, crossing his arms with a brow raised, “It had magic in it. It wasn’t good magic.”

Yakov didn’t say anything for a moment. He then turned back to his spell book, opening it as he said, “That isn’t any of our business or responsibility.”

Victor blinked, taken back by Yakov’s response. “Excuse me?” Victor asked, stunned. He couldn’t believe that Yakov was being so thoughtless. “Why isn’t it?”

Yakov’s eyes stayed on his book as he replied, “It’s Lilia’s problem. I supported her through her career, but now it’s over, her mistakes are on her own shoulders,” Yakov turned a page. “If you have any concerns about what happened, talk with her. She knows more than me, anyway.”

Yakov wasn’t making eye contact. He was lying. Victor could see it. “You’re lying.”

He then met Victor’s gaze, but it only lasted a second before he turned back to his spell book. “I don’t lie to you, Vitya.”

Victor crossed his arms, shaking his head. “Except now, right?” He questioned, stepping closer to Yakov who continued to stare at his book. “You know I’m right about my bad feeling. What do you know, Yakov?”

Victor refused to believe Yakov didn’t know anything about that fire. He was a wizard - and a gifted one. His entire magical career was based off him educating himself on the causes and consequences magic can have on others. Victor couldn’t believe Yakov knew nothing. He was hiding something.

Yakov then sighed heavily, closing his spell book as he turned and finally met Victor’s glare. “You’re right, that fire did have bad magic.” Victor kept his glare as he waited for Yakov to continue. “But I can’t see any bad consequence from that fire. I believe he may be able to develop a new magical ability, but that’s all I see.”

Victor felt that couldn’t just be it. It didn’t explain why Yakov lied to him about it in the first place, and it didn’t explain his bad feeling one bit. “But – but my bad feeling?”

“Look, I told you all I know,” Yakov began, “But there is nothing else I can tell you. The only person who knows more than me is Lilia, so talk to her about it.”

“Talk with who?”

A voice spoke behind Victor and he turned to see Lilia standing in the doorway. Victor stepped towards her, demanding answers. “You. I need to talk to you.”

As Lilia opened her mouth to reply, Yakov spoke over her. “He’s concerned about the boy who saved you.” Victor glanced at Yakov, then back at Lilia as he nodded with agreement.

Lilia’s expression didn’t falter as she crossed her arms, “Ah. The stupid boy.”

Victor’s blood boiled at her words. He couldn’t understand how both were being so inconsiderate. They didn’t care at all if that boy was alright. His fists clenched as he tried to ease his anger, and said through gritted teeth, “He saved your life. You owe him,” He stepped closer, standing tall. “You caused that fire. It was your mistake that hurt him. If he didn’t save your life, you might not be here. You owe him so much.”

Lilia turned her gaze away, but she stood tall. “It isn’t my responsibility to make sure he is okay. He knew the risk. If he ends up becoming cursed from it, that isn’t my problem to fix.”

Victor froze, his blood ran cold. “…Cursed?

“Surely, you haven’t pondered the possibility that he could be cursed?” Lilia questioned in a cold tone, “There was forbidden magic in that fire and he got burned by it. If it curses him, it’s his own fault. I had my spell book, I could have escaped. He only has himself to blame for getting cursed – if he does.”

Victor’s knuckles were white from clenching his fist so hard, and he gritted his teeth in an effort to remain silent. None of them cared for the boy; not Lilia, Yakov, or Yuri. They didn’t want to thank him or help him, and Victor’s anger continued to boil. It wasn’t fair. It was selfish and cruel, and the boy didn’t deserve this.

“But he can’t be cursed,” Yakov walked towards them, joining in. “I can’t see it being a consequence of your magic. And Yura said he couldn’t foresee a future where he’s cursed.”

Lilia huffed, “Regardless if he is or he isn’t, whatever consequence does happen, it’s his own problem.” She turned to Victor. Her face showed no sympathy. “You shouldn’t waste your time. It’s best to avoid you getting hurt.”

Hearing Lilia continue to dismiss the boys' action, and ignore any possible curse, and tell him that he should too, Victor vowed that he would do anything to help him. He knew he had a reason to trust his bad feeling, and he would be damned if he was going to continue to ignore it.

“No.” Victor spat towards Lilia, then turned to Yakov. “I’m sorry, Yakov, but I’m afraid I can’t be your protégé if you believe his curse is his own responsibility.”

Yakov stared at Victor with shock. “Vitya –”

“I’m going to find him,” Victor ignored Yakov, “And if he is cursed, I am going to protect him. I will help him.

Lilia tutted and Victor glared at her. “Don’t be so foolish,” She spat back, “Even if he was cursed, you can’t help him.”

“She’s right, Vitya,” Yakov said as he stepped closer. Victor stared at him, his expression stoic. “We’ve taught you nothing about curing curses. We didn’t need to. You can’t help him if you don’t know how to cure him.”

Victor huffed, “I’ll learn. I’ll find his cure.”

“Then don’t come running back to us when you realize you can’t do it,” Yakov said, crossing his arms. Victor didn’t doubt that he was going to do everything in his power to try and help that boy. If he had to find outside help, he’d do so. If he had to learn a new subject in magic, he would do it. Victor was determined, and he was ready.

“Since when did you care so much about someone other than yourself?” Yakov asked. Victor turned to him, brow raised with question. “You have only ever thought of yourself, Vitya. What makes this boy so special?”

Victor stared. “Nothing makes him special,” He answered. “But it isn’t right that we leave him to suffer with her mistake.”

“I’ve never seen you care this much about someone before,” Lilia spoke. Victor turned to meet her gaze. “Something’s changed in you.”

“Maybe I finally grew up,” Victor said, and Lilia raised a brow, “I’m going to help him. It’s the right thing to do.”

As he stared at Lilia’s and Yakov’s faces, he saw nothing but doubt. Victor felt confident that he could help the boy, whether he was cursed or not. If his teachers – his guides, were going to sit back and do nothing to fix their mistake, Victor was going to make things right.

As he turned to leave, he shot Lilia a glare of disappointment before stepping around her and leaving. He needed to find this boy. It wasn’t for his own selfish want, like Yuri seemed to think. Yes, he liked him, and he would like to see him again, but that was simply pushed aside for now. He needed to prove his mentors wrong – prove that he can help this boy. He will correct their mistakes and redeem them.

He was confident he could do it. He thought, surely, a cure couldn’t be _that_ difficult to find.

 

* * *

 

 

“Yuuri, medicate your arm.”

“No.”

Phichit sighed, “Yuuri…”

“I’ve already shoved a ton of cream on it. I’ve already tried my own medicine and even some remedies my mother sent me, and none of it is helping.”

Yuuri hated his burned arm. He hated it with a burning passion, which was ironic to say given the circumstances, but it made him hate his burn even more. That particular day, his burn seemed to itch and all day he wanted to desperately scratch at his healing skin. He wanted to ease the itch but his blisters reminded him that it would be a bad idea if he did.

Phichit told him to put more cream on it, but it didn’t help to ease the scratch. Yuuri was getting sick and tired of constantly unravelling his bandage just to put it back on only moments later. It was repetitive and annoying and Yuuri wanted his arm to hurry up and heal.

“It’s been keeping you up, hasn’t it?” Phichit then asked and Yuuri stared at him.

“Does it show?”

“You looked tired,” Phichit said as he sat down beside Yuuri. “It’s been keeping you up, hasn’t it?”

Yuuri didn’t realize he looked tired. He didn’t feel tired, but it was keeping him up until early hours of the morning. He swallowed hard as he nodded, “Yeah, a little.”

“Why don’t you call your doctor, see what he says?” Phichit suggested. Yuuri huffed as he fell back into his seat, crossing his arms to sulk. “I get burns might itch, but not a few weeks after healing. It might be infected.”

Yuuri didn’t want to call his doctor. He didn’t know why, but he felt they wouldn’t be able to help him. He had already researched online how to stop his burns from itching. All he read was things he had already tried to do.

He tried different creams and moisturizers, hoping one would ease it. He then took a bath, hoping that would work, but when it hadn’t, he tried soaking his arm with oatmeal. Nothing seemed to ease it enough to feel comfortable, and Yuuri was getting beyond annoyed.

He gently, but with some pressure, rubbed his palm over his arm to try and ease the itch without scratching at it. “I’ve tried everything,” Yuuri said, glancing towards Phichit. “They’re just going to give me some more cream and send me on my merry way.”

“But it might help?”

Yuuri shrugged, shaking his head, “I doubt it.” He sighed as he stood up. He decided rather than whine about it, he might as well try and put on more cream and hope he can slaver on enough to ease the itch before nightfall. “I’m going to put on more cream again. It might work this time.”

“Take your time,” Phichit said to Yuuri as he walked out of their living room and into the bathroom.

As Yuuri closed the door, he breathed in heavily. Being alone felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He didn’t know if it was the sudden popularity he got from saving Lilia, or if it was his frustration with his burned arm, but he found being around people made him feel restless. The thought of having to step back outside and be around Phichit made him feel anxious and more irritated than he already was.

His irritation, Yuuri concluded, was from his burn. It was keeping him up late at night and he felt exhausted. He also assumed it was him reacting to the aftermath of the fire that made him both restless and irritated. He assumed he would feel better once he got a good night sleep and the itchy bandage off his arm. He hadn’t felt right for a few days now.

Yuuri huffed out a sigh as he reached for the medicine cabinet and grabbed the tub of cream his doctor prescribed him. He swung it shut a little too forcefully and feared he smashed the mirror. As he glanced up to check, he caught his reflection staring back at him and he gasped.

He didn’t look right either. His eyes were dulled and sunken, almost darker with exhaustion. His skin held no color and as he raised his hand to touch at his face, he felt his cold, frozen skin beneath his palm. His hair looked flat and lifeless and his lips were chapped. Yuuri didn’t realize how tired he must have been; he wasn’t even taking care of himself.

He sighed heavily as he turned away from his reflection to unscrew the lid from the tub of cream. He placed it to the side and worked on unravelling his bandage. As it fell from his arm, Yuuri eyed the reddening, scarred skin that sat underneath. His blisters struggled to heal, but he could see there were less and less by the day. He pulled the bandage off completely and threw it to the side with little care. He dipped his fingers into the cream and moved to rub it over his burn – he then noticed something.

He wasn’t certain, but his burn looked different. The scolding red of his burn seemed off color, as if the irritated skin was… darker. Yuuri rapidly blinked as he stared at his forearm. His heart pulled in his chest as he stared at it, unsure if he was actually seeing it. He washed off the cream from his hand and pulled off his glasses, cleaning them with his shirt. He placed them back onto his face and glanced back down at his arm. Again, the darkened skin didn’t change.

What was happening?

Yuuri wheezed in a gasp as his heart pulled. He could feel every hard pound against his chest, so hard, he could hear it through his ears and feel it in his throat. He trembled under his own stare and his vision darkened around the edge. Yuuri tried blinking it away, but he couldn’t move. He was frozen in place, forced to feel every pound of his heart and every breath he desperately needed. He stared at his burned forearm, watching it tremble in panic and fear.

Soon, he felt nothing but fear as his vision almost darkened completely.

He breathed in heavily through his nose and the second where he almost thought to himself to give up, he pulled back from his panic. He gasped through his mouth and stumbled backwards, falling over the bathmat and to the floor with a hard _thump._ He scrambled backwards until he hit the wall behind him. He shuddered and gasped as he blinked away the black dots that filled his vision. He rubbed his eyes with his palms, trying to ease his blurred vision and took that moment to just _breathe._

Yuuri felt his eyes water and he forced back his tears as he sat there and breathed. He pulled his hands away, looking down at his arm. His tears stopped the moment he laid eyes on his burn. The darkened skin he saw before was back to its normal color. Nothing was off, nor was anything different, and Yuuri was confused.

He looked over every inch of his burn, even up to his hand, trying to see if the darkened skin was anywhere to be seen. The longer he stared at it, the more he realized it wasn’t there anymore, that he must have been seeing things. He had to have imagined it.

Yuuri could feel his eyes water again. He couldn’t help but feel stupid, having a panic attack over something that wasn’t real. He ran a hand through his hair, feeling annoyed that he let his anxiety get the better of him. He just imagined it. He let his anxiety think it was worse than it was. Yuuri nodded with himself, agreeing it was his anxiety. Nothing was wrong with his arm – he was okay.

A sudden knock on the bathroom door startled him. His stare shot up to the door as he heard Phichit speaking on the other side. “Yuuri?” He called, “Are you okay?”

Yuuri blinked hard before taking a deep breath. He stood up and opened the door ajar, seeing Phichit smiling on the other side. “Yeah, I’m fine,” Yuuri said, “Why?”

“You were just taking a while,” Phichit said, concern sweeping over his face, “I thought I’d check to see if you were okay.”

Yuuri swallowed hard and nodded, “Yeah… I’m fine. It’s easing up now actually,” Yuuri closed his eyes and let out a breath. He didn’t realize until then, but his itch had gone. “The itch, I mean. It’s easing up.”

Yuuri caught the second Phichit expression dropped to doubt before it returned to a wide grin as Phichit said, “That’s good! Make sure you keep it medicated. We don’t want to go through this again, do we?”

Yuuri shook his head. He really didn’t. “Yeah. I just – I need to rebandage my arm.”

“Okay, take your time.” Yuuri closed the door and leaned against it as he took a deep breath.

He glanced back down at his forearm, staring at his burn again. He couldn’t help but feel that something wasn’t right about it. He could look past his sudden irritation towards his burn and his annoyance with people being around him. He knew that was down to his exhaustion.

It was the sudden itch and the strange color of his skin that he struggled to look past. He knew it was most likely down to his anxious mind convincing him that his burn was worse than it was and that it wasn’t going to heal, but one thought made him doubt that – he never hallucinated like that before.

Again, he could easily blame it on his lack of sleep, but it seemed so _real._

Yuuri’s head fell back against the door as he sighed heavily. He was tired, irritated, and now anxious. He swallowed hard as he stared down at his burn, convincing himself that he had imagined it – he was anxious and he imagined it. As he grabbed his bandage and wrapped it back around his arm, he decided to leave it on for a little longer than he wanted.

He closed his eyes and repeated to himself that he was alright. He panicked, that’s all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, bad things are happening.

**Author's Note:**

> Wizards: Wise and magically powerful. They educate themselves with wisdom and the causes and consequences magic can have on others. They must use a staff and spellbook to use their powers.
> 
> Sorcerer: A sorcerer is born with magical abilities. They must educate themselves to cast more spells. Unlike any other, they can cast without the use of a wand/staff. Their magic is harder to learn.
> 
> Mage: A mage is also born with magical abilities; however, they are limited to casting through a wand. (Also known as spell-casting) Only through educating themselves on their ability can they learn to control their magic, as it can often be unstable.
> 
> Witch: Witch: Witches can either be born with or without magical abilities. As they develop a skill in Witchery, they develop their powers. Witches tend to use their powers for health, using herbs and natural remedies to heal – but also using their powers once developed properly. Other witches can use their developed powers and skill and meddle with dark magic, typically conjuring, and hexing to cause misfortune.
> 
> I hope none if this bothers anyone! And I also hope it makes sense ;o; If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me! But if you've made it this far, thank you for reading!! <3


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